Hape handed England call-up

Former New Zealand rugby league international Shontayne Hape has been named in the England squad for the RBS 6 Nations Championship.

Hape, 28, is joined in the 32-man squad by Northampton winger Chris Ashton, another league convert, and his Saints team-mates Courtney Lawes and Ben Foden.

There is no place in the senior squad for Danny Cipriani or Shane Geraghty, who have to be content with places in the second-string England Saxons.

Delon Armitage, Riki Flutey, Toby Flood and Nick Easter are all back in the fold after missing England's disappointing autumn international campaign through injury.

The inclusion of the two rugby league converts is designed to sharpen England's attacking options. Johnson's men scored just one try in three autumn Tests, in a laboured victory over Argentina, and they barely stretched the Australian and New Zealand defences.

Harry Ellis has been retained as one of three scrum-halves despite concerns over his knee injury, while England have decided to delay a final decision on props Julian White and Andrew Sheridan until January 25.

Johnson has made a total of seven changes to the original squad named in July with Steve Thompson, Lewis Moody and James Haskell also being confirmed in the senior party.